1. What is Pathways to Home?
2. How does the Program Work?
3. What makes Pathways to Home Unique?
4. How can families become involved with the Pathways to Home program?
5. What happens when a family does not qualify for entry into the Program?
6. How long may a family participate in the Program? Is there a maximum time limit?
7. What is expected of families enrolled in the Program?
8. How does the Pathways to Home Program avoid duplication or gaps in services for families?
9. How do we evaluate our program?
10. What financial accountability does Pathways provide to ensure the proper use of donations?
Pathways to Home is a housing stabilization program for families with children experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. We offer three types of intervention: Prevention, Rapid Re-housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing (for disabled caregivers). Participants must reside in Orange, Osceola or Seminole counties.
Each family entering the program is assigned a trained, dedicated case manager who assists and guides the family in defining goals, accessing needed resources, providing training and other supports essential to long-term housing and financial stability.
What makes Pathways to Home Unique?
Pathways to Home provides an intensive case management component to help homeless families with children not only stabilize in the present, but to develop a resiliency for long-term self-sufficiency, The majority of families become homeless due to a financial or other crisis that leads to the loss of housing. Through case management support, and our expertise in child welfare, Pathways to Home is able to help these families overcome obstacles to achieve their long-term goal for stable, permanent housing. Our Prevention Service is design to divert families from being evicted so their children will not experience the negative affects of homelessness. Our Permanent Supportive Housing assists families residing in Seminole county with a diagnosed disability and a reliable source of income. No other agency or program offers this comprehensive approach to resolving child homelessness.
How can families become involved with Pathways to Home program?
Families may contact the program directly at 407-268-6363 or may be referred by any partner agency. When openings are available, a referral worksheet will be completed to ensure that the family meets the criteria for initial entry into the Pathways to Home program. The criteria are as follows:
- Seminole, Orange, or Osceola County resident with children
- Families who are without permanent housing or face the likelihood of becoming homeless
- Family is working, employable or have stable income and meet guidelines for low income services
- Motivated as evidenced by signing the Mutual Agreement committing to stay connected to the program for 6 to 12 months
- The entire family agrees to participate in the Rapid Re-housing and teaming process.
For those that meet the criteria, an Initial meeting is set to conduct an intake, explain the program, and collect information on the family’s view of their strengths and challenges. This is the point at which the family and the case manager agree whether they are a good match, if so the family is accepted into the program
What happens when a family does not qualify for entry into the Program?
If a family does not meet the program entry criteria, or we do not have an opening available, our partner agencies remain ready to provide help and assistance in their individual areas of expertise. Our trained staff will enter families into the Coordinated Entry System to assist them in gaining access to services from another provider that does have an available opening.
How long may a family participate in the Program? Is there a maximum time limit?
In the Mutual Agreement, the family and case manager agree to maintain a minimum of weekly communication with one another (although more frequent contacts are the norm). Families move forward at different speeds, depending on their strengths and needs when they enter the program. Families continue to work with a case manage from 6 to 12 months. After completion of the program, case managers remain in contact to review status, provide encouragement and evaluate the continuing impact of the program.
What is expected of families enrolled in the Program?
At entry into the program, each family signs a Mutual Agreement with Pathways to Home. Through this action they agree to identify a team of supports to assist them on their journey to self-sufficiency. The family agrees to develop an individualized plan of action to reach their goals; to establish savings; develop a course of action toward debt reduction or resolution (if needed); increase their knowledge of money management skills by completing a Financial Literacy Education course; and follow guidelines established to ensure effective and continued service provision. Families determine their own best course of action with the help and support of their team. The teaming process focuses on solution building. When teams are developed with natural supports such as family, friends and church members. the family is empowered to sustain themselves well into the future.
How does the Pathways to Home Program avoid duplication or gaps in services for families?
Pathways to Home systematically and comprehensively weaves together available resources through social service agencies across Central Florida. By utilizing a shared web-based data collection system, evaluation process, and intensive case management, Pathways to Home is able to match specific needs with the available resources which avoids duplication of services; reduces paperwork; and gives each participating agency the information needed to help their client families succeed. With this united and coordinated approach, we are able to deliver services more quickly and effectively to reduce client frustration and confusion.
How do we evaluate our program?
Ongoing documentation and evaluation of our program helps ensure continuous improvement. Pathways to Home has teamed with Homeless Services Network of Central Florida to develop a framework for evaluation design, data analysis and collection methods to assess the efficacy of our strategies. We evaluate key strategic areas of the program: our client families’ progress toward self-sufficiency, customer service, and the degree to which there is increased collaboration and efficiency across the partner agencies. We gather data through assessment tools, surveys, interviews, and observations with client families, case managers, partner agency personnel and other persons as appropriate. Data is analyzed and reported on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis and serve as the basis for making necessary improvements and for judging the overall success of the program in producing the desired outcomes.
What financial accountability does Pathways provide to ensure the proper use of donations?
Pathways to Home is a program of Community Initiatives, Inc. which is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization. Community Initiatives has robust procedures and tools for fiscal and program management. The organization uses Solomon Accounting Software and undergoes an annual Financial Audit to independently confirmed sound fiscal controls. Audit available upon request. Community Initiatives, Inc. also maintains a reviewed agency profile with the Central Florida Foundation. Without funding support from the community, Pathways to Home would be unable to operate and meet the needs of our families Central Florida.